About Us

Mission

Statement

We aim to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ through the Spirit of Nauvoo, to encourage a paradigm of life-long education through study and experience, and to have a positive influence on the community of Nauvoo and our fellow students.

Ways we strive to fulfill our Mission

Inspire participants to become more devoted disciples of Jesus Christ through program experiences.

Create an on-campus experience for students to continue their online coursework while living in Beautiful Nauvoo.

Provide opportunities for YSA to connect, serve, and learn from others as well as from the early Nauvoo saints.

Our Story

The Nauvoo Discovery Program began as a passion project to address the changing needs in the Nauvoo community and to provide a spiritually strengthening and enriching environment for college-aged students to discover the extraordinary treasures Nauvoo offers.

The journey began in 2010 when Brian Christiansen first set foot in Nauvoo, Illinois, with his wife and two teenage children. The experience had a significant impact on his family. In 2020, he returned to Nauvoo and purchased a business and even added a museum.

However, his passion project was to design a program for Young Single Adults to come to Nauvoo and learn about the history and early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who built “The City Beautiful.”

He eventually crossed paths with Darren Adair, who shared his vision, and together, they set to work and designed a program unlike any other—The Nauvoo Discovery Program!